Yan County.
Prefectural Government.
Seeing Li Rui returning, the officials of North City swarmed around him.
One official asked, "Lord Li, did the Prince mention what he plans to do next?"
The officials of North City were all deeply concerned about what major moves the North Prince might make after arriving in the North Land and whether it would affect their positions and interests.
Li Rui revealed a slight smile, raised his hand to touch his beard, then replied calmly, "The Prince told me to not bother him with non-urgent matters, everything in North City will remain as usual!"
Upon hearing this, the officials of North City became incredibly excited.
If that was the case, their power and their interests would remain unharmed.
Although they didn't say it out loud, they all thought, "Luckily the imperial court sent a useless Prince to North City."
However, just at that moment, a soldier from the Prefectural Government rushed in panicked. He approached Li Rui and whispered something to him.
After listening to the soldier, Li Rui frowned and his expression turned grave.
Seeing how troubled Li Rui looked, an official hastily asked, "Lord Li, what has happened?"
Before the official had finished speaking, Li Feng entered the Prefectural Government.
Seeing Li Rui and the group of officials, Li Feng said with a smile, "Lord Li, your residence is quite lively today!"
Li Rui came to his senses and quickly approached, saying, "That's an overstatement."
"May I know what message General Li has for us at my residence?"
Li Feng directly brought out the North Prince's token and then said, "The Prince has ordered that, starting from today, all military affairs in North City will be handed over to me."
Hearing this, the officials in the courtyard became panicked.
The main reason they had been so brazen and indifferent to the North Prince was that the military of North City was under the control of the Governor.
The North Prince had just arrived in North City and was now taking over its military affairs—what was he planning?
The military was a sensitive matter. If a seignior took control of the military, he must have some plans in mind.
Could it be that the North Prince was planning to turn against them?
At this moment, Li Rui said, "General Li, the Prince has just arrived in North City and is not yet familiar with it. May I know why he has assigned you to take over the military affairs?"
Li Rui didn't think that the North Prince was aiming to strike at the powers in North City, at least not in the short term. After all, he had only just arrived and hadn't yet established a strong foothold.
Moreover, in order to maintain his rule over North City, the North Prince still needed these officials and the major powers in North City. Even if the North Prince wasn't well-informed, he wouldn't likely undertake such an act that would destroy his own foundations.
Li Feng saw the concerns of Li Rui and the others and said directly, "Lord Li, you must have heard about the assassination attempt on the Prince by Blood Moon Tower on his way to the fief, right?"
Li Rui said, "Naturally."
Li Feng continued, "Given that, then you should understand why the Prince wants to take control of the military power. The Prince doesn't want his personal safety to be in the hands of others."
After Li Feng's explanation, Li Rui and the others immediately realized the situation.
Indeed, the North Prince had been attacked on his way here, and he was young and likely got scared.
Perhaps it was because he feared death, and feared that the North City's military might harm him, so he decided to take control of the military power.
Li Feng went on to say, "Lord Li, you wouldn't be unwilling to hand over the military authority, would you?"
"The Prince has entrusted you with all the affairs of North City. If the military power remains in your hands, who is the true Prince, you or the North Prince?"
At these words from Li Feng, cold sweat broke out on Li Rui's forehead.
Indeed, if all the power of North City were in his hands and he had no one to restrict him, it wouldn't be long before the imperial court would send someone to cause trouble for him.
Li Rui thought it over. Since there weren't that many soldiers in North City anyway, it would be better to hand them over promptly and avoid trouble.
With this in mind, Li Rui immediately took out the Tiger Talisman from his bosom, "General Li, this is the Tiger Talisman that governs all the troops of North City."
Then, Li Rui turned to a soldier dressed in armor beside him and instructed, "Captain Wang, please take General Li to the barracks to have a look."
"Yes, my lord."
Following that, Li Feng followed the soldier to the barracks of Yan County.
After Li Feng left, the officials who had been behind Li Rui gathered around him.
"Lord, why did you hand over the Tiger Talisman to him!"
"Yes, Lord, what if the Prince misuses the military authority?"
"Lord, what should we do now?"
...
Hearing the discussions among the officials, Li Rui said, "Rest assured, military authority should naturally reside in the hands of the Prince. It is perfectly normal for the Prince to take back control."
"Moreover, you all heard Li Feng's words just now. The Prince has delegated all affairs of North City to me. If I were to retain control over the military, not only would the Prince find it hard to accept me, but the court would never tolerate me either."
Hearing this explanation, some officials who were quick on the uptake immediately understood Li Rui's intentions.
After all, there had been a case in the Great Xia Dynasty where an official in a Prince's Mansion had monopolized power and imprisoned a Seignior.
Still, they remained somewhat concerned.
Once the North Prince had military power, it meant he had a weapon in hand. It would be easy for him to deal with them, and they no longer dared to act recklessly as they had before.
Li Rui continued, "Now, you all should return to your respective jurisdictions."
"If the North Prince issues any command, I will notify you at the first opportunity."
After hearing Li Rui's words, the officials had no choice but to leave the Prefectural Government office one after the other.
...
A few days later.
North Prince Mansion.
In the courtyard, Lu Chen watched as the servants made soap following the blueprint and decided to try one piece by rubbing it on a dirty piece of clothing.
Soon, the stains on the dirty clothes were washed away, leaving them clean and pristine.
Seeing this scene, everyone in the courtyard let out incredulous exclamations.
Chu Yuqin curiously asked, "Chen'er, where did you find the method to make this? The soap works so well!"
As he washed his hands, Lu Chen replied with a smile, "Madam Chu, would you believe me if I said I thought of it myself?"
Raising her beautiful eyes, Chu Yuqin spoke with a hint of sarcasm, "Chen'er has certainly grown up, keeping more and more secrets, and hiding everything from Madam."
Seeing that the atmosphere seemed a bit uneasy, Mu Zixuan hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Madam Chu, this is indeed a method that the Prince came up with."
In truth, Chu Yuqin was only slightly mocking in her tone, and not angry at all; she had long since given up on probing Lu Chen's secrets.
That said, Chu Yuqin still felt a sourness in her heart, thinking back to when Lu Chen used to tell her everything, but now kept everything to himself after getting married.
At that moment, Zhou Xiaoxiao changed the subject, "Prince, how do you plan to sell this soap?"
Lu Chen had already made it clear before making the soap that he intended to sell it, so Zhou Xiaoxiao was curious about how the Prince planned to price such an effective cleaning product.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen said, "Let's sell it for between three to ten coins per piece."
Startled, Zhou Youyou, who was nearby, said, "That cheap?"
Lu Chen replied, "Thin profits and high turnover. This is meant to replace bath beans, it shouldn't be too expensive, or no one will buy it."
At this point, Lu Chen's gaze fell on Mu Zixuan.
"Consort, the soap venture shall be entrusted to you."
Excited, Mu Zixuan said, "Rest assured, Prince, I will take good care of the soap venture and fill the mansion's treasury as soon as possible."
No sooner had Mu Zixuan spoken than her complexion suddenly turned pale and she began to retch.
Seeing this, Zhou Youyou and Zhou Xiaoxiao quickly went to her side to support her, "Sister, what's wrong?"
"Quick... call the physician!"